[Pessimisticat]

So, I've been having a hard time picking a major. I've never been the kind of person, even as a kid, to know what, "I want to be when I grow up". I'm really into Psychology and I want to help people.

I've flip-flopped between getting a degree in Psychology and Social Work the past two years I've been in college. I've been sticking with Social Work because its pretty much the same as Psychology when licensed, and I wouldn't have to go to medical school.
The university in my area doesn't offer Social Work, though. It's a huge college, too, so it seriously sucks that they don't have it. The pre-reqs for its Psychology program require you to get a B or higher in Pre-Calc (w/ Algebra and Trig). I got a C, which shot that option out the window. Its not like I didn't try, my professor just had a /really/ weird way of teaching, and it didn't work with me.

I was going to go to a different university, but would require me to move in a year. I really don't want to move. My SO has a job here, which right now is only an internship but it might carry over into a legit job. I also don't want to have to pay all the moving fees, that would be quite hefty, in order to move all my crap 200 miles away. ._.

Instead, I decided to check out the School Counseling program at the university. I think being a School Counselor would be awesome, because you get salary and all the vacation time schools have (so I would get to travel, which is something I've always wanted to do) & benefits, since I'd be working at a school. Plus, I'll get to help kids (hopefully) and it won't be as intrusive, as say a Social Worker or a Psychologist who might be working with the same person for years. Its only a Masters & PhD program, but apparently I can get an undergraduate in anything and still be able to get into it (although Psychology, Sociology, or Education are the most helpful undergrad degrees for it).

The issue is, I don't like doing research or dealing with statistics, so I don't know if I'd enjoy Sociology, which is basically like pure research. ._. I'm also not sure how an Education degree would really /help/ me in becoming a School Counselor. Psychology is really the only one I could see being incredibly helpful, but I already screwed myself over for that.

Meh, the struggle is real. ._.
Sorry for the venting, lol.

[Tiva]

So, some FYI's here for someone with a closely related degree.
If you want to do Social Work it is incredibly rewarding but long hours ad not great pay. You also will have to pass a test in the state you work in.
Sociology is a lot of math, reading and analyzing and a lot less of helping people. Most on my classes involved Analyst positions and I have a few old classmates working as User Experience Analysts.
If you work as a School Councilor you will mostly deal with children that are having issues in classes, and if you are in high school you will deal with a lot of college admissions help. You get to be on their schedule but you are also subjected to their pay which depending on what state you are in isn't much.
There are a lot of negatives about each thing but you need to look at everything and put yourself first. Your SO will be able to cope with moving, and if your goal is social work then you need to pursue it and move colleges.

[Pessimisticat]

I don't really have a clear goal, that's the thing. These are all careers I'm interested in but a single one isn't jumping out at me more than the others.

That exact reason is why I don't really want to do Sociology, I hate math, and I really don't want to be stuck doing research and statistics, like ughhh. No thank you.
Either way with Social Work or School Counseling, I need to pass a test and get licensed, and the pay will be crap, lol. I can just see myself enjoying both. If anything, I could always do Marriage and Family Counseling, since it is under the same "Counseling" program at the University. The only thing I know for certain that I want to do is help people. Which way I get to do it doesn't matter too much to me.

I personally don't want to move, maybe even more than my SO. I know he'd be fine if it came down to it, or we could take the time to seperate for awhile. I just feel like it'd be super complicated and not entirely worth it, which is why I'm trying to figure out a way to do something at the university here. Worst case scenario, I will move, but I'd prefer to find an alternative, first. Social Work isn't like my dream job, or anything, so its not like I'd be giving up this huge life-long dream.

[Tiva]

The Counseling just doesn't seem as legitimate of a degree to me, at least on paper. It seems more like a certificate program title than a bachelors, which is helpful as a secondary but not as a main. Really I would try retaking the Pre-Calc class even if it sets you back a bit, because the Sociology is going to be extremely math focused. I took Stats, Calc 1, and a specialized Stats class for my Anthropology degree.

[Coda]

I agree with Tiva's conclusion here -- try to retake the prerequisite. It's not worth throwing off your hopes for college based on a single letter grade in a single class.

If you need some help in the actual class when the time comes, I'd be happy to offer help.

[Pessimisticat]

Thanks guys!
I was thinking of re-taking the Pre-Calc that has trig and algebra in it (instead of just Algebra).
Hopefully, if I do, I will get a professor that will be more towards my learning style.

I'm going to visit my advisor tomorrow and see what she thinks about this whole situation. I think a lot of my problem is I don't have one clear goal as to what I want to do, so I don't have any real strong motivation to go one way or another.

[Coda]

Pre-calc/trig is definitely worth it. That's what I took. It's a broader class so unless you REALLY need to brush up on your algebra specifically then it should qualify for all of the prerequisites AND teach you more in the process.

[Poggio]

I would start with figuring out your goal. If you can, I would try volunteering in the places you are interested in working at or some similar agency over the summer to get a feel for what its like to actually be in the throws of the job. While you may like it now, being in the actual field is something different. I found this out about my major. I don't enjoy being boxed in and making art, nor do I network enough to freelance. I have a different profession entirely now that I enjoy.

[Pessimisticat]

Thanks so much for the advice, guys!
I'm going to try to see if re-taking Pre-Calc with Algebra & Trig at the same time will count as a "first try" to see if I can get into the Psychology program at the University here. They might see I'm persistent and allow me to get in. My GPA is a 3.6 and I have really great grades so far besides that one class, so I'm hoping they'll make an exception ;_;
If not, I don't know if I'm going to pursue School Counseling since for the Education degree I'd need to take 3 more pre-req classes, and I don't know if I'll have the time (or funding) for that. I also hate sociology with a passion, so I would definitely not try to force myself through that option.

Worst case scenario, I move or take classes online.
I definitely appreciate all the help, though!

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Definitely check out some volunteer work if you can. I was going for social work myself and volunteer work on your application was a major plus. I applied under life experience which apparently doesn't go very far (news to me and my SW prof but I passed the word along). Because my GPA was so high at the time I was basically given an "in" provided I got some of that volunteer experience.

I kept putting it off, and ultimately took that as I sign that I wasn't as keen on social work as I originally thought. I went into English Literature instead. :). Useless for a job, but I'd totally do it again! My dad was always one to say that you go to university for an education, not a job, and at this point I think he was right. Don't necessarily assume that having a degree in one area will lock you into that area for employment. Some degrees can have pretty broad applications.

I'm in a diploma program now for a library tech and I also need to do some math upgrading in order to take the tech specialization I want. Sucks, but it's what I want to do.

[Pessimisticat]

That's kind of why I wanted to go with Psychology, originally, because there's sooooooooo many options in that field.
That's awesome that you found something you like, though! I definitely am not aiming for a career to get me into a job that'll help me make bank. I just want to find something I'm genuinely interested in and that will make/keep me happy/satisfied with my life.

I e-mailed the University around here about the math dilemma I was having, and they said that even though I have a C I should still apply because if I did well in the other reqs (which I did) than I might still have a shot. They even recommended that I take the Trig class and try to get a good grade in that, so that maybe the University will over-look the C in the Pre-Calc w/ Algebra class.
So, next semester it is back to math I go ;_;
The more I talked to ya'll about the School Counseling idea, and the more I just thought about it, the less comfortable I was with going that route.

[Illusion]

There is a large amount of students who study Psychology and decide to change majors right away because they discovered a different career path they wanted to take.

It's okay to try a different class or two in your first year of study. Colleges give you a ton of options to explore while fulfilling your general education credits.

But it sucks society forces you to make a decision when in your teens and provides very little opportunity later in life when you realize you don't want to be doing X and want to do Y instead.

If you truly don't know what you want to do for a living my suggestion: Go find the best paying job you feel even somewhat confident in doing.

It's okay not to have a "dream job" there are some people who simply hate every kind of job they've ever worked in their life. But if that's the case find the best paying job is, so if your going to hate your job no matter what at least your being payed extremely damm well to even care.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

I agree and don't agree with what Illusion said there.

Yes, it's good to do get a job that you can tolerate and that pays reasonably well at least.

No, you aren't necessarily committed to whatever job or degree you pick.

I have 2 sisters in my age range. I'm the only one who went to university. One has had a few miscellaneous jobs but decided that finance stuff was right for her, and is now an accountant that is getting her degree while on the job. It's hard work but doable. Another sister has had maybe a dozen jobs, several trade/schooling certificates, and is onto another one. I have never had a job relevant to my degree and I'm effectively starting a new career path several years later.

I think it's fair to say that the idea of a single job for life is not the norm anymore, and most people (or so I remember hearing) go through at least one career change in life, so you aren't stuck. There is still opportunity after the fact.

[Bassy]

My first year of college, I was a Social Work major. I thought it was for me but it wasn't. I got depressed, with bad roommates, failing, and working too much. I changed my major to something in a totally different department to Parks & Rec and I absolutely love it. If you're majoring in psychology, you can still probably be able become licensed to be a social worker.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Social Work in Canada requires a specific degree, but you can use an existing alternate BA to upgrade to a MSW if you want to put the work in, and I considered that option. There is a thing called a "Social Services Worker Diploma" which allows people to work in the lower end Social Service jobs. Because of the overworked nature of Social Workers, people are trying to get more work options open for people with diplomas. I was hoping to get into health care with my social work degree, but it was general knowledge at the time that health care jobs generally went to people with masters degrees, and everyone had to do at least two years of general practice. It might not be this way anymore, but that's what it was when I was looking at the profession.

I like my library diploma course now, because the library tech diploma has a fair amount of freedom to it, and unlike Social Work, library work does not have set education requirements to fill the positions.

[Bassy]

On average, college students will change their major 6 times. Thinking what you want to be shouldn't even be asked in High School or middle school because most likely things are gonna change and you will have a different passion that you would committ yourself to.